Publications by authors named "G T Kondos"
Article Synopsis
- Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, particularly adalimumab, have shown promise in treating cardiac sarcoidosis, with a case previously reported at a medical center.
- A retrospective study was conducted at the University of Illinois Health from 2011 to 2022, evaluating seven patients treated with adalimumab for safety, tolerability, and corticosteroid tapering.
- Results indicated that all patients had positive responses to adalimumab, with five able to discontinue corticosteroids altogether, and the medication was well tolerated with no reported adverse events.
Background: National guidelines recommend angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) and β-blockers (BBs) at target doses for morbidity and mortality benefits in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); regardless, titration of these therapies in practice remains suboptimal. We implemented an outpatient pharmacist-managed HFrEF medication titration assistance clinic (MTAC) at one institution to improve titration for general cardiology (GC) patients.
Objective: To evaluate MTAC impact by determining the proportion of patients on target or maximum tolerated ACE inhibitor/ARB and BB doses.
Objective We tested the hypothesis that higher circulating levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG) are related to higher levels of coronary artery calcification (CAC) among women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared with healthy controls (HCs). Methods Among 611 women in two age- and race-matched SLE case-control studies, OPG was assayed in stored blood samples (HEARTS: plasma, n cases/controls = 122/124, and SOLVABLE: serum, n cases/controls = 185/180) and CAC was measured by electron beam computed tomography. Results In both studies, SLE patients had higher OPG and CAC levels than HCs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIslet cell transplantation can functionally cure type 1 diabetes and also improve carotid intima-media thickness. This study provides a preliminary description of changes in coronary artery calcium following islet transplantation, and associated factors. Coronary artery calcium was measured in 14 patients with type 1 diabetes (11 had measures both pre- and post-transplant [mean 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Studies were performed to uncover the significance of obesity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and preclinical models.
Methods: Preclinical arthritis models were used to examine the impact of obesity on disease onset and remission. Conditioned media from RA adipose tissues were used to investigate the mechanism contributing to joint neutrophil influx and M1 macrophage differentiation observed in early and remission phases of arthritis.